


Self-fulfilling Prophecies

by whiteraven1606



Series: Loosely Connected [14]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Gen, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2013-02-27
Packaged: 2017-12-03 18:37:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/701381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hulk has an incident, which makes Bruce Banner run away. Right into a much bigger problem.</p><p>Spoilers for <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Self-fulfilling Prophecies

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for a couple of prompts: http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/15292.html?thread=32756156#t32783292 Here is your news conference with the Hulk.
> 
> Also: http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/13316.html?thread=30350084#t30350084 and http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/13316.html?thread=30720004#t30720004
> 
> I combined a couple of prompts because splitting them wouldn't have worked as stand alones. I tweaked movie canon for _The Dark Knight Rises_ and there are spoilers for that movie.

****

Later, Tony would tell Steve the whole end to the day had been his fault.

Tony had trouble getting his armor off one of the dented plates was in a bad position and then the removal rig had hiccuped as Tony shifted to one side when the dented plate hadn't been compensated for correctly. Eh, just a little entrapment for several minutes. He was happy that he'd talked Hulk into waiting outside.

That was until he stepped out of the de-armoring truck to find the team surrounded by reporters and the Hulk holding Clint in his lap like that would ward them off. Tony mentally cursed the perimeter teams, and stepped up to help deflect from Cap's stiffness and Hulk's encroaching fear.

****

Clint hadn't been more grateful for Tony's flamboyant nature than the moment Tony stepped out of his de-armoring truck and took control of the stupid mob in front of them. Clint patted the underside of Hulk's arm again as he eased his tight hold on Clint slightly now that Tony was commandeering the attention of the reports.

"What do you say to critics that think the Hulk isn't worth the repair bills?"

Hulk huffed and everyone froze.

Tony smiled. "What do you think Hulk?"

Hulk blinked and Clint wondered how long that reporter was going to have a job when Pepper got through with them. "Hulk think he help. If not have Hulk, Doom-bots break slow."

The reporters blinked almost in unison and Clint hope to hell JARVIS had somehow gotten a picture of that. Clint was going to have to remember to ask him.

Tony grinned wide and gestured to Hulk. "He's a Hulk of few words, but he's right. If we did not employ the Hulk then it would take..." Tony made a what-can-you-do sort of face, "Something like twice as long to round them all up and destroy them. How about someone bill the bad guys, huh?"

A reporter near the back spoke up. "Hulk..."

"That's Mr. Hulk, if you please." Phil appeared at Hulk's elbow and stepped forward just far enough for Clint to see him without turning his head.

"Oh, uh, Mr. Hulk, could you tell us what being an Avenger is like?"

Hulk raised his eyebrows. "No see Hulk on news?"

Tony stepped sideways and touched Hulk's knee. "What he is really asking is what you think of the Avengers, Big Guy."

"Oh." Hulk looked at the reporter and cocked his head. "Next time say what actual ask is." He smiled with his mouth closed. "Hulk think all team good. Starman..."

"That's Captain America." Tony tapped Steve on the star across his chest.

"Yes." Hulk sat up straighter. "Starman tell Hulk can smash. Is good. Always Hulk get hurt for protect-ing. Now no hurt."

"What do you mean you always have been hurt before?"

Tony patted the Hulk's knee. "You all have heard of General Ross, I'm sure. He has persecuted Dr. Bruce Banner, the man who is sometimes the Hulk, for a lab accident that resulted in the injury of General Ross' daughter."

Hulk frowned. "Hulk not mean hurt Betty. Hulk was bad hurt." He closed one hand into a fist and Clint put his hand on the side the reporters couldn't see. "Hulk try to go, but had to smash to get free."

"Are you referring to the second sighting of Hulk at..."

"No. Did I say I was? No, I was not." Tony crossed his arms. "Look, I know what you'd really like to have is a horrible soundbite before the evening cutoff. What you are getting is not that. No further comment." Tony turned his head towards Phil. "They can be arrested right? They are in a restricted area, aren't they?"

Phil moved forward and soon the reporters were being escorted away.

Tony moved to stand by Clint. "So? That was awesome, Big Guy. You were great."

Hulk sighed. "No like them."

"I don't blame you. You ready to go eat?"

Hulk squinted as he watched the camera flashes from down the street. "Can Hulk trade with Puny Bruce? No want go near them."

Tony cocked his head. "Uhm, well, I wasn't planning on going anywhere near them, Big Guy."

From the mob came the yelling of 'Hulk! Mr. Hulk, look over here!'

Hulk blinked. "No. Plea-se trade?"

"We'll ask, but if Bruce says no then you just lose your turn, alright?"

Hulk nodded. "Okay." He turned his head towards the de-armoring truck. "Can Puny Bruce come out inside?"

Tony glanced at Clint. "Sure. No problem."

****

Bruce blinked and rubbed at his stomach. "I thought we were on his turn."

Tony patted him on the shoulder before holding out a shirt. "We were. Turns out he's not a fan of reporters. At all."

Bruce snapped his head up. "What? Don't tell me he..."

Clint shoved glasses at him. "Hulk just held a press conference. It was awesome. Even if he did have to hold me like a teddy bear."

Bruce shook his head as he took his glasses from Clint. "You are maniacs. He's _dangerous_."

Tony held out Bruce's shoes. "Yeah, well, this time he wasn't, so."

Bruce sighed, took the shoes, and stuffed his feet into them. "Where are we eating?"

"Junior's."

"Okay." Bruce just followed along because he had no idea what that actually meant. As they rounded the end of the truck they were joined by everyone else. Bruce put himself on the edge of the group like he normally did, putting Tony more towards the middle.

They hadn't talked about it, but Bruce knew Tony was a high-profile target, and Bruce would rather risk an angry Hulk than let Tony get hurt if he didn't have to be hurt.

****

Tony mentally rolled his eyes at Bruce maneuvering him to the inside again. He really wished the man would learn that he was part of this team. Tony nudged Clint and motioned with a little jerk of his head towards Bruce.

Clint turned his head to look, his eyes widened, and then Tony's world began to suck.

****

Clint saw a flash far down the side street and he didn't have time to say anything as Bruce jerked, fell to his knees, and was the Hulk faster than Clint had ever seen. Clint didn't even get a chance to move as Hulk roared like a freight train, grabbed Tony, pitched him into a car, and then Hulk grabbed him.

Clint wrapped his hands around Hulk's thumb and as he threw Clint he used that to somersault himself out and away. He landed in a roll, people screaming around them as Hulk roared and stomped.

Clint rolled upright, found Nat was off to his left, huddled down trying to decide if she should shoot to try to distract him or not. "Cap! He got shot!"

Hulk turned at his yell and roared at him. 

Clint backed away, showing his hands. "We didn't shoot you!"

Thor came in close and Hulk grabbed him up and beat him into the ground several times before throwing him at Cap.

"Mr. Hulk!"

Clint winced at Phil's tone. He never used that tone unless he was really pissed.

Hulk froze for a bare moment and then bounded away.

****

Tony came around to a bunch of shouting. "Shit."

"You okay? You hit that building pretty hard." Agent sounded concerned, which seemed weird to Tony.

He put his hand up to his other shoulder where it was on fire. "I'm...good. Bruce?" He pushed himself up and blinked. "What happened?"

The shouting match was still happening in front of them. Tony squinted and focused on what they were saying.

"...maybe he was right!"

"I don't fucking think so!"

Tony pushed himself up and Agent helped him to his feet. "What are we screaming about?"

Steve looked stricken, ashen, and like he was about to be sick. "The Hulk attacked you."

"Uh, no." Tony rubbed his head where he had a knot. "He was protecting Bruce. He didn't attack _me_."

Natasha frowned. "Stark, he threw you into a building."

"Yeah, I was the closest when he got...whatever happened..." Tony turned to Clint. "You saw it."

Clint nodded. "He got shot."

Tony turned back to Steve and Natasha. "See? He was protecting Bruce."

Steve ran a hand through his hair. "Tony..."

"Kid's right." Logan stood up out of his crouch near a small smear of blood. "He smelled scared. Angry, yep, but a lot more scared."

Tony pulled his phone from his pocket. "Good old Stark tech." It didn't even have a crack on it, awesome. "J, can you pin-point Bruce-y?"

****

Hulk sat and leaked. Cried is what Shooty Cupid had called it. "Hulk cried." He flopped onto his back and stared up at the sky. "Hate hurt, always hurt Puny Bruce."

The side of his head still ached. Hulk blinked and didn't even feel up to smashing. It wasn't right. "Hulk broken."

He got up and made a nearby tree shake with his half-hearted punch. Hulk turned to start for home to ask why Spaceman had hurt him when Hulk heard thump-thump coming. Hulk smiled. Agent always bring horrible thump-thump.

He watched it come into view and cocked his head. The thump-thump wasn't the right color. Then it started making pop-pops. Hulk growled. Not Agent's thump-thump. Hulk lept up to make it stop pop-popping.

****

Phil Coulson was mad. No, not mad, he was _pissed_. "Get me the order that says SHEILD handles all Hulk incidents. Now."

Sitwell scurried off because he could tell Phil was pissed too.

Phil looked at the tracking and cursed as an Army helicopter approached the Hulk's current position. Phil's phone rang. He frowned at the display. "Sir?"

"What the hell happened?"

"It appears Dr. Banner got shot in the head, sir. It was after action and most of the Avengers were not in gear. Stark has a minor injury and Thor is going to have bruises. Sir? Is there any way I can have permission to shoot at the Army?"

"No, you may not. Just get him back."

"Well do, Boss." Phil had no qualms hanging up on Fury as he got a clean line to the fire control for that helicopter. Phil cursed. Or not, he watched the fireball on the screen and hoped for Dr. Banner's sake that the soldiers had been able to bail out.

****

Hulk ignored the small greens that dropped out of the thump-thump before Hulk smashed it. It wasn't small greens' fault Hulk get hurt. Small greens just made pop-pop. Not give order to make pop-pops happen. Hulk knew. He did roar at them because pop-pops stung.

Once they ran away, Hulk decided to move again. Thump-thumps would come for smashed thump-thump and try to hurt him. He lept and kept leaping. Hulk grinned into the wind. He was much faster than any puny thump-thump.

****

Phil rubbed his forehead as Stark came into the room and pretty much took over. That was what the man was good at doing.

"Can you believe them? Seriously, they act like he meant to kill us all."

"He could have." Phil adjusted Stark's sling as the man fussed with something on Phil's screens. Phil let him because it would end up giving a better everything when Stark was done with it.

"He didn't."

"I know that." Phil blinked as the tracking cleared up and gave them a better trajectory. "Where is he going?"

Stark frowned. "I don't know."

Phil eyed Stark. "Tony, I know that tone of voice."

"Uh, well..."

****

Hulk lept and bounded until he got tired of it. He stopped outside a town and looked up at the billboard. He squinted trying to bring the letters into focus to read them. He huffed and sat down.

****

Bruce came to on the side of a two lane road. "What the hell?" He rubbed the side of his head were it was aching and looked up at the billboard above him. Then he got a fragment of memory flash. "Tony."

Bruce scrambled up and hurried down the road, holding his pants up with one hand. He needed to find a phone.

****

Phil frowned as the satellites lost him. "We're having an inter-agency pissing match about retrieval."

Tony looked up from his seat at the screens. "I thought we had that squared away. Hulk's rights and everything bought by Bruce for a dime because _somebody_ told me it couldn't be a penny or a nickel."

"I tried to get you to go for the classic dollar." Phil rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "The Army is arguing that he can't own himself because he's classed as a weapon."

"Oh, fuck that." Tony held out his hand. "Phone."

"No."

"Phone, Agent. Now."

Phil rolled his eyes and handed it over. Then he sat back to watch the fireworks.

****

Bruce had only memorized one number for the Tower so he dialed that one.

"Hello."

"Uh, JARVIS. I, uhm..."

"Dr. Banner, please report your condition."

"My condition?" Bruce blinked. "I was actually trying to find out how badly I hurt Tony."

"Mr. Stark has a wrenched shoulder and some moderate bruising. Prince Odinson has a broken finger and heavy bruising. Agent Barton..."

"Okay. Stop, stop." Bruce gripped the phone and breathed. "I...I should go."

"Wait, Dr. Banner..."

Bruce hung up and handed the phone back. "Thanks. Sorry, uh, well, just sorry."

"No problem. You need a ride somewhere?" They frowned as their phone starting ringing.

"Are you headed North?" Bruce would head back East at the next city when he left this person because JARVIS was using them to try to reach him.

****

Tony spent hours trying to pinpoint Bruce again to no avail. He was pulled away by Clint for food and that turned into a drag-down-knock-out fight with Capsicle over weither or not Hulk had ever really been in control or not.

Tony wiggled his hand where it was sore from punching Steve in his stupid fat mouth. Adjusting again on the area Bruce had been in when he called JARVIS, Tony frowned.

Natasha settled in the chair next to him. "He can be protecting Bruce _and_ be a danger."

"I know that." Tony didn't look at her. "Everything is dangerous."

She blinked. "True."

"Okay. Then, what? We're going to hand Bruce over to the Army? Try to figure out a way to separate them?" Tony scoffed. "Hulk is dangerous, but then so is Bruce."

She nodded. "Yes, he is."

Tony looked at her. "What?"

"Bruce is dangerous in and of himself." She leaned forward and studied the screens. "I'll keep watching. Get some sleep, Stark."

****

Steve sat cross legged on the end of Tony's balcony de-armoring walkway and stared out over the city. "Go away."

Clint came closer and sat down on the steps near him. "No."

Steve sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Yeah? Well, I do." Clint moved closer and leaned into Steve's side. "Are you terrified because of the Hulk or because you just might do that to us someday?"

Steve frowned. "I just have flashbacks."

"Yeah. You've put Tony into a wall before during one. How is that different from the Hulk other than the Hulk is bigger?"

Steve ran his hand over the lower part of his face. "It..." He blinked. "It isn't any different."

"Exactly. I don't see us having screaming matches about you being uncontrollable."

****

Bruce kept himself low and worked his way towards the coast. He'd find an outbound boat and then...He stopped and frowned at the cloud of dust coming up from the stadium ahead. Weird. He kept walking, trying to force down the other guy who was trying to come out to keep Bruce from leaving the country.

He got closer to the stadium and he started to hear screaming. Bruce stopped, frowning, as the whole ground shook. He went to his knees and was gone.

****

Hulk huffed as he pushed himself up from the ground. Running, that was all Puny Bruce ever did. He looked around himself for a sign. He didn't know where on his map he was. 

There was screaming ahead of him. Hulk smiled. There was smashing and Team where there was screaming. He could say sorry and ask Spaceman why hurt and fix Puny Bruce. Hulk bounded that direction.

****

Phil hurried down the hallway. He opened the door to the room they were using to try to spot Dr. Banner. "Turn on the news."

Tony leaned back and frowned at him. "We're busy."

"News!"

They all turned their heads towards him and Stark flicked one of the screens to the news. Then they all stared.

****

Hulk had never had someone try to stop him by tugging on his arms when they were smalls. He didn't leap because everything always fell off when he leaped. "What?"

"You can't! You can't fight them! They said they'd blow up the city!"

Hulk frowned. "All city?"

Another small clinging to him nodded. "Yes! Please, please...I know you can be small. Please!"

Hulk blinked and knelt down. "No Avengers?"

"No." Another small joined them. "They're coming!"

The first small smelled bad scared. "Please! Small now! Change, pretty please!"

The other small smelled bad scared too. "With a cherry on top! Please!"

Hulk snorted. "Tell Puny Bruce no Team."

All the smalls nodded. "Sure, sure, just change."

"Quickly!"

Hulk closed his eyes.

****

Bruce woke up to a bunch of people dragging him. "Wha..."

"Hush. We've got to hide you."

He flailed and one of them grabbed his chin. "We're trying to save you. Then we'll explain."

He blinked and that was enough time to get them into a house. There was a rumble as a big, not exactly a tank, rolled past.

"Who is he?"

"The Hulk."

"Shit." The man, police by his bearing, hurried forward. "We've got to hide you. Come on."

****

Bruce listened to the problems and got caught up on the news he'd been missed while trying to stay out of sight. Batman had returned, disappeared, and now this Bane guy was holding a whole city hostage with a bomb. The shit that could happen in ten days.

Police all trapped in the sewers. Communications cutoff so Bruce couldn't even tell the rest of the Avengers where he was. Batman was missing and thought to be dead by the young cop, Blake. And a bomb Bruce could possibly disarm if he could just find the damn thing. 

"You're sure we can't tell which truck it is on?"

Blake shook his head. "We don't have a way."

Bruce watched one of the trucks the bomb might be on roll past in the snow. Gah, Bruce hated the cold.

****

"Shit." Blake frowned and hurried back along the street. He turned the corner and headed into the third house from the end. "Bruce?"

Bruce Banner looked up. "What happened? Did the Special Forces' meter work?"

"They got the Commissioner and Ms. Tate."

Bruce frowned. "Did they get figure out which truck it was beforehand?"

"We got it marked, yeah."

"That's something at least." Bruce grabbed up the jacket he'd gotten from Blake. "Okay. Do you know where the reactor was?"

"No, but I know someone who does."

Bruce followed Blake.

****

As the fighting started, Blake got Bruce hooked up with a rescued Commissioner Gordon.

Gordon stared at Dr. Banner. "You're the Hulk."

"We don't have time right now. We need to get that core stabilized. Which I can help with, but the Hulk can't."

Gordon nodded. "Right. Come with me."

****

Bruce Banner looked the core over as Batman and Catwoman argued. Bruce turned to the Commissioner. "I can't do anything that'll help with the reactor flooded. It is too far gone."

Batman started pulling a cable from the Bat. "I can get it out over the bay."

Catwoman followed him across to the truck. "What? Get it over the water and eject?"

"No autopilot."

Bruce blinked. "Wait."

Batman looked at him. "I would have liked to talk to you as well, Doctor Banner, but we don't have the time."

"No, no. The Bat. How good a transmitter does it have?"

Batman headed for the Bat. "What does that matter?"

Bruce ignored him and hurried over to the Bat as Catwoman caught Batman to say goodbye. He flipped through the menu screens. "Oh, awesome." He dialed the only number he knew by heart.

"Hello."

"JARVIS, I need you to help fly the vehicle that I'm calling you from. It has to go out over the bay as fast a possible while hauling a nuclear bomb. And I'm going to need you to eject the pilot's pod, got it?"

"Yes, Dr. Banner. Mr. Stark..."

Bruce flicked the connection to mute and backed away as Batman approached. "If it was small enough I'd just swallow it."

Batman smiled. "I hear Hulk gets rather angry when injured."

"Yeah." Bruce shook Batman's hand. "You'll be an Avenger one day, Batsy."

Batman snorted and turned away to climb into the Bat.

Bruce stood back and watched Gordon talk to Batman for possibly the last time.

As the Bat rose, Gordon stared up at it. "Bruce Wayne?"

Bruce smiled and clasped him on the shoulder. "What? You didn't know that?"

Gordon turned to stare at him. "How did you know?"

Bruce shrugged as they watched the Bat fly away. "Tony Stark told me." He turned to head for the shore. "Now if you'll excuse me I've got to go retrieve Batsy and get that stab wound of his looked at."

****

Hulk pulled Batsy's tiny pod from the water. He took it with him as he bounded away. 

Puny Bruce had run from Spaceman, from home. Hulk liked home Tower. Hulk liked Team. Hulk wanted moo-ve night and all good food. 

Hulk was going home. Hulk knew where on his maps he was now. Got-ham. Hulk no like cold puny Got-ham. Batsy could come home with Hulk. Spaceman had plenty of Tower.

****

"You nearly killed me."

Bruce Banner shrugged. "How was I supposed to know you'd done a software patch? You liar."

Bruce Wayne smiled. "Tony is influencing you. I can tell." He threw his arm over his eyes. "How long until I can get up? I have a lunch date in Florence."

****

Bruce Banner sat down next to Tony on the couch. "I..."

"You stupidhead." Tony grabbed Bruce up into a hug. "Next time come home."

"Yeah." He patted Tony on the back. "You're going to have to explain to the other guy that you didn't shoot me."

"Hah. I was right!" Tony bounced up. "You know it sort of was me? Well, because I was there. They were trying to kill me, not hit you."

"Then it is a good thing I always put you on the inside of the group, isn't it?"

Tony shook his head as he waggled his hand back and forth. "Maybe both good and bad."

****


End file.
